Screaming without a Voice
by Bobo-san
Summary: A painful past haunts the mind of an assassin. He has wondered endlessly to become stronger, in order to meet a certain being. 'Sorry for being so late,' he said...
1. Prologue

_One strike won't end it all._

At least, that was what went on inside the teen's mind when he confronted a Ghostring. "I finally got you..." He thought, when he actually said it to himself. Right now, adrenaline pumped his body, pushing him far beyond his limit. Sweat trickled down his cheek from the border of his short, but hidden, black hair. The day wasn't hot. Nor was it daylight. It was dark, and night; the moon shining down upon the land of Rune-Midgard with an easy breeze.

The ghost creature was floating side to side, emotionlessly, as its enemy was the young assassin teen, standing a few feet away. It may not look hostile, but the teen knows much about monsters that roams here. This type of creature attacks any human that comes nearby. Pretty aggressive, won't you think?

_Here I come!_

With one deep breath, the assassin raised his weapon, a chokuto sword, to eye level – and dashed forward. The ghost seemed to move, too, the moment it saw the assassin dash. With a swift motion, Naeel brought down the sword silently as the night was. Behind the young assassin, a blue, yet pale, sheet of what was left over of the ghost; slowly fell to the dirt ground. _If that priest didn't enchant my weapon, I'd have trouble killing it..._

A heavy sigh escaped through his lips as Naeel, the young assassin, prevented him from falling with the support of his sword, which he stabbed the ground with to keep steady. "Damn... I'm already lacking behind with my training?" He wiped the sweat from his face, using the black scarf that covered his neck. "?"

Something caught his eye. Just as he passed by the pale sheet on the dirt, a golden, but small, corner of an item, shined. "Well, what do you know...?"

The assassin crouched down beside the pale sheet – and picked up, to what seem to be, a card that was just about the size of his palm, or smaller. One side was blank, and the other contained a picture of the Ghostring he had destroyed. The golden frame covered the edges of the card, carving a smirk on the teen's face. But only momentarily did his finding of a Ghostring card struck his heart with joy.

Something, more of a noise, had been picked up by his ears. Just as soon as heard the noise, the teen turned swiftly without a sound. It was someone coming towards him. Who, he did not know of, but Naeel had to hide. If only his legs would move, he would. But his side had ached, throbbing and bleeding, from a powerful blow. "!" He could feel his ribs gnawing at him in pain, which caused him to become immobilized. _Shoot...! C'mon, move!_ The teen had a knee on the ground, a clutched hand placed around his right ribs, and breathing heavily.

Not a moment later, there was a figure who stepped forward. Naeel didn't see the person's face since he lowered his head, having the bangs of his black hair covering his facial identity.

"Aw, shoot... Seems like you got to it first..."

To his surprise, the figure that stood in front of him was a female. "...?" The teen raised his eyes a bit – and saw a pair of black uniform-like shoes (high heels?) that covered the base of the female's legs. Her legs were, surprisingly to him, quite nice – _Err..._

Shaking his head slightly, Naeel raised his head fully to see who this person was.

"Hey... You don't look alright..." Her innocent voice crawled through his ears again. Naeel kept his stare towards the female that stood in front of him. She had a red ribbon that tied her long, brown hair that nearly reached her waist. The female wore a long dress, but at her lower torso, there were two slits that revealed a bit of her thighs. In the middle of those slits was a huge cross. She had blue eyes that fitted the moonlight sky.

"A priest...?" Naeel mumbled, slowly watching her come closer to the teen – everything was blurry to him.

"Not just any priest, silly" The female giggled shortly, bending down to a knee just to reach his lowered height. Naeel was nearly several inches shorter than her, he could tell, but he had important things to do besides dreaming about what would be under that dre-

"I'm a High Priest! Don't you see?" He could see her sweet smile etching on her face. "You don't look okay... Are you alright?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him react slightly.

"Yeah, I am. Don't worry 'bout it," the teen replied. He, forcing himself to, stood up, pushing her arm away with a motion of his shoulder as he took a step forward – and the next thing he knew, his body stopped functioning. Both of his knees had dropped to the ground, followed by his whole body.

The priest had shouted a bit to him, "oh my God! Are you okay?"

But her voice seemed to become muffled by the passing second. He could hear her yelling out questions and statements, but they were becoming dull. Soon, all he could see was darkness closing in – and his eyelids shut.

"... Heal...!"

---------------------------------------

"... Nrgh...?"

Sunlight. Light. His eyes become bright. _Sunlight...?_

Slowly, Naeel opened his eyes, blinking a few times before he saw an opened window with its curtains pushed neatly to the side. The sun wasn't that bright today, but it shine upon him. Outside, he recognized the town that was built around this building. Prontera City.

It took him about a few minutes of thinking, until he sat up – but the gnawing pain on his ribs prevented him to do so. Lying down on the bed, _where am I?_ He looked to the left, seeing that the bed was surrounded in a room filled with what a normal apartment room would be; mirror, chairs, closet, a door, bathroom, some books. He looked to the side, seeing that the closet had its doors open.

_Scarves, gloves, shoes, dresses – wait. ... Panties...?_

With that thought in mind, his eyes opened wide, finally realizing that he was in a room he didn't know where, or who it belonged to. "Where the hell am I...?"

"Oh, you're already awake?" A feminine voice called out from the bathroom. There was a noise of silk being released that entered the teen's ears. Foot steps came afterwards. The door opened and closed – and there she was, standing in a white dress. Her brown hair wasn't tied anymore, so it was longer than her waist. Her blue eyes were staring towards Naeel's dark eyes, a smile forming on her face.

"... You're that priest..." Naeel said as he looked at her from the bed he laid on. She nodded in response, walking towards him. She took a seat that was next to the bed. Naeel took in a bit of a deep breath as the teen struggled to sit up, trying to ignore the pain.

"Yup! I am. Oh, don't try to sit yet," the priest said, gently pushing Naeel back to lie flat on the bed. "You're still hurt. You shouldn't move at all, yet."

"Huh?" Naeel looked down upon his naked, upper-torso, filled with patches and bandages. Mainly, his ribs were covered in thick layers of bandage. "..." The teen fell silent as he thought about that night when he found the Ghostring. He must have fallen unconscious after that fight. After all, he did manage to kill it when he was already injured.

"When you fell down, I thought you were dead. But I didn't think assassins would die easily, so I took you in here, and patched you up!" The priest smiled again as she watched the young teen look out towards the sky from the opened window. "You know... I don't mean to get personal, but..."

"Hmm?"

"When I brought you in here, I... I managed to carry you."

There was a dull silence that pierced the atmosphere for a moment. Naeel had turned his head towards the priest with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm surprised..."

"Oh? At what?"

"You're..." she started to say, placing her elbow on her thigh. Her hand was up, supporting her resting head. "You were pretty light."

"Eh..." Naeel kept his silence once again, but it was shorter this time. He laughed. And smiled. "Really?" he asked.

The priest nodded with a slight smile. "I mean, I don't do weights or anything, but... It's just that I'm surprised that a person like you is that light. Although... Your sword was the heaviest to carry... How do you manage to use that?" She said, pointing towards the sword that was resting against the wall to the girl's side.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It must've been a burden to do that. I've been using it since I was small." Naeel chuckled. "But I do appreciate your help. Thanks."

"I managed to patch you up, but..." She had stopped in her sentence; her eyes were half-closed. Naeel looked at her blue eyes, and saw that she was staring at his arm. "Your arm..."

"..." The teen's right hand moved from its resting place – and ended up being placed over his left arm. His eyes closed for a short moment, but he opened them soon. At least, about half-way. To the priest, she could tell that something horrible had happened to the young boy, involving his left arm. "It's okay," he said, breaking the silence.

The priest broke her stare from the arm, and shifted them to him. "Whatever happened to you, I'm sorry. It must have been really painful." Of course, she was talking about his past, which she has yet to know of. The priest wasn't expecting Naeel to tell her what happened, but at the same time – she wanted to know, and why.

"... Maybe someday I'll tell the story to you."

Indeed, his past was very crucial to him. Whatever he may do, the past will never leave his mind. It haunted him. It scared him. But that was the least of his worries, at the moment. He needed to stay here to rest. Stretching his arms, Naeel sighed deeply, and smiled towards the priest.

To himself, he has this feeling that he never felt before. Usually, he had never laughed, or smiled. Let alone talk with someone this long. This person... Somehow, she changed him. "What's your name?" he asked her.

"I'm Kira," she replied sweetly. "What about you?"

"... My name is..." the teen replied, with a smile. "Naeel."

Author's Note:

I just want to start by simply saying that I do not own Ragnarok, okay? Okay. Second, you might notice that an Assassin class is using a 'sword' in this prologue. I know, but I thought mixing in a bit of twist and reality with Ragnarok would make the story a bit more interesting. Hopefully it will be. The prologue is short, I apologize if it is, but I think they are supposed to be short, no? Read and Review, please? Thanks!

Chokuto – a Japanese sword that is similar to a katana, except the blade and handle are straight. Naeel is pronounced (Naii-eel), and Kira is (Kee-rah). The 'r' in her name sounds a bit like the 'r' in 'Rurouni Kenshin'.


	2. Chapter 1: The Assassin Cross

What _did_ happen, really?

People did wonder why he had an arm like that. It was something that they never saw before. No, he didn't have a mechanical arm, or someone else's arm. Something about his arm was… different. People would stare at him as he passed by, but Naeel didn't bother staring back because he thought it was rude to stare. He hates how people only come up to him because of his arm. Yes… People actually do come to him and ask. It's been bugging him for sometime. The only reply he would only give was a shrug – or a lie.

Oh yes, Naeel would tell them about his arm. But in a more 'twisted' version than what really happened. He lied. He didn't like to lie, but he had no other choice. The only way to protect his past was to lie about what happened. How he hated to lie.

It wasn't long before Naeel had become an Assassin. He was a quick learner, thanks to his father and brother, of combat while his mother taught him the other important aspects in life. Most of the time, his mom would sit beside him and read books that bookworms would dare to read. Naeel had patience. He was a patient kid since the only things he did was learn from his family. He never learned that well in school facilities, anyway.

"Naeel," a voice shot out from the front. It was the sound of a powerful man who had guts and power. By his voice alone, this man shows how strong and willful he is. Even Naeel could see that the moment he first met him.

"Yes?" The young boy looked up towards the tall man that stood in front of him. This was the teen that stood in front of the leader of the Assassin guild. He was scared of him because the man's face always showed fear. The boy gulped.

"I have to say that I'm impressed with your work. As a young boy, your abilities are above some of your brethrens." The tall man chuckled with a small smirk etched on his face. Even when his face showed happiness, Naeel can tell that this man was always serious. "Most of them are quite jealous of you."

"…" Silence was his reply. His eyes showed nothing but sadness. Naeel stared at the ground below him, not wanting to look at the man's eyes.

"I might even think that you may surpass my skills."

That line broke his trance. Naeel looked up towards the leader, straight into his eyes with a stare. "That's impossible." He said, shaking his head slightly.

"Likely," the man said. "But you never know; I'm going to be gone from this world sooner or later." With a smile, he patted Naeel on the shoulders.

That interested Naeel. Whenever he hears the leader talk about death, or dying, he looks straight into his eyes, and knows well that he's not afraid of death. This man was smart when it came to thinking. If he knows he can't defeat an enemy, he backs away with a plan. Naeel learned that from him. It was an important strategy.

"Why do you always talk about dying?" He asked.

"…" Now it was his turn to be silent. He thought for a moment. Why did he always talk about death? Did he want to die that badly? He shrugged. "Maybe I'm too…"

He was soon interrupted when another Assassin appeared from behind. He walked towards the guild leader, whispering something in his ears – and gave him a small piece of paper. The next second after that, the assassin vanished. The guild leader looked at the paper, reading the contents. "…"

"What is it?" Naeel asked, his face frowning.

"We found her. You know what to do." The guild leader reached for his katars, making a small cut on his thumb, which he used the blood to wipe the message on the paper. He licked the thumb afterwards, putting away the paper. Whatever was written in that paper was classified information. Naeel knew that the mission has already started.

Without wasting anytime, Naeel turned around, walking away from the large man. That same night, Naeel started to make his way towards Prontera. But what would make him feel that way? Something was wrong. Very wrong. The girl that was the target was someone he did not know of. Who was she? Why do they want her dead?

"What do you want now?" Naeel stopped in his tracks, sighing. He was looking towards an Assassin Cross resting in the shadows. His back stood against the wall of an alleyway. Frankly, he didn't know who this Assassin Cross was, either.

"I heard you're quite the Assassin from the Assassin Guild…" The Assassin Cross deeply said. He had a raspy voice, and that showed to Naeel that he was much older than he was. It fitted his evil appearance, too. "You may even be promoted to become one of us."

"… Oh?" That was a surprising fact for the boy. Naeel had recently become an Assassin, just about two years ago – and here he is, getting promoted by the guild leader of joining the Assassin Cross? That's a massive stepping stone, isn't it? "I never head that before."

"Yeah? Well surprise, surprise then." The Assassin Cross stepped out from the alleyway, just before the exit of Morroc Town. He drew his weapon, a pair of Katars, from behind. "No offense kid, but… I've been curious at why they would send a shrimp like you to become one of us."

"…" The teenager narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Assassin Cross. He looked at his appearance, seeing the difference between an Assassin and an Assassin Cross. Their weapons are some that Naeel had never seen or used before; their outfit seems to have bones attached, acting like some kind of exoskeleton. They seem to be more protected than a normal Assassin. His greaves and arm guards… That skull on his belt was a significant sign to Naeel that this man was indeed an Assassin Cross. One thing that interested him was the different Katars he wielded. They seem to be larger than a Jur, let alone an Infiltrator. A different costume, different weapons… "I don't even know myself."

The Assassin Cross stopped several paces from Naeel, his Katars drawn and equipped at his hands. He scraped the metals of his weapon back and forth, watching the teen draw his weapon. "… What kind of an Assassin are you, using a sword? You're not a knight, kid."

"You shouldn't underestimate someone by their appearance." Naeel placed his left hand around his sword, readying his thumb to push up his chokuto sword.

"Ha! You're already thinking about beating an Assassin Cross? You're sadly mistaken." The Assassin Cross scraped his Katars quickly – and dashed forward.

The teenager pushed his sword out with his thumb, grabbing his sword with the right – and dashed forward with a jump. "We'll see."

The Assassin Cross, raising his left katar, blocked the incoming blade from above – and his right weapon slashed from the side, striking the teen's left side. He jumped forward, turning around to see Naeel landing with a cut already bleeding down his side. "You were saying?" The Assassin Cross taunted the kid.

"Shut up…!" Naeel held the sword like a javelin – casting Enchant Poison as his sword momentarily glow a faded purple color. He dashed forward and swung at the motionless Assassin Cross – and suddenly was shot back, feeling a sharp pain. "What…! He didn't even move…!"

"Pathetic, kid. You need to remember the usage of each skill thoroughly." The Assassin Cross had cast Poison React before even he encountered the teenager. "You ought to be prepared a few steps ahead."

"Urgh…" His vision started to blur. "Detoxify!" A pale blue aura surrounded Naeel, curing him of the poison. He jabbed the sword to the ground – and used it to throw a rock towards the motionless Assassin Cross. The same time, he dashed forward.

"You got to try better than that, kid." The stone merely bumped off from his shoulder – and the teen's sword had cut through his shoulder.

"What about that?" The teen slid back a few paces with a smirk formed on his face – but it was soon gone when he saw the Assassin Cross that stood in front of him stood behind him.

"Name's Crimson, kid." His raspy voice echoed behind Naeel. The moment Naeel turned around with some hint of fear, Crimson raised a knee to his stomach.

"Mine's Naeel," with a smirk, the teen replied as the scabbard of his sword went in front of his lower body. The knee struck the case – and the powerful blow seemed to have pushed back Crimson.

"!" The Assassin Cross jumped back and dashed forward with his weapon crossed across his chest. At close range, he swung them horizontally – where he met Naeel face to face as the teen's sword was locked in between his Katars. "I must say… You're learning quickly by the minute. No wonder you're promoted this quick."

"Well, I got to say that your skills fascinate me, Crimson." With a grunt, Naeel pushed the Assassin Cross back – and swung down towards him. In return, both Katars were in the way, but that surprised Crimson.

_His strength suddenly got his bigger!_

He was already struggling to push Naeel back. _When did he get stronger suddenly?_ "This is getting interesting by the minute."

"I told you not to underestimate me!" Naeel smirked as he held his blade with confidence. He was pushing him down; an Assassin Cross!

"That's where you're vulnerable, brat." Crimson's pair of eyes glared at him – and the battle seemed over for Naeel in a split second.

Letting Naeel win the strength battle, the Assassin Cross dropped his weapons and spun across the teenager. When he appeared behind Naeel, he slid back a few paces.

Naeel was confused. "… Dropping your weapons was a huge mista…" he was cut off from his sentence, suddenly feeling paralyzed. He couldn't move. No, nothing had stunned him.

"I have to admit, kid, you're a strong one. But you lack the power of agility and mind." Crimson folded his arms. "You didn't even see me attack you; that's how fast I was." He nodded towards the teenager.

"Agility and mind…?" Naeel looked down at his right side to see a very small dagger jabbed neatly through his flesh. _I couldn't even feel that until now…_ But he noticed something else around him. He was surrounded by a purple haze-like aura. "All that in less than a single second…" Now he thought of it. Would he dare become one of them? Surely, he would discover their new abilities. Or would he rather stay as an Assassin?

"I'm going to let you off easy, this time, kid." The Assassin Cross picked up his weapons, slowly walking away. His weapons started to glow purple just slightly – and a sudden blast had struck out from his Katars, hitting Naeel straight on his chest that caused him to fall back.

"Urgh!" The teenager quickly cast Detoxify to cure the poison. He got up quickly, raising his sword… towards the air. Crimson was gone. Naeel sighed deeply, breathing quite heavily as he wiped some sweat off his forehead. _Who the hell was that guy…?_

Author's Note:

Crimson's description is very similar to your average male Assassin Cross appearance if you look for it in google.ca, Image section. The same goes for his Katars: it's the same pairs that the male Assassin Cross holds in the Google picture. A Jur and Infiltrator are both Katars. As for the skill he used, it was Hallucination Walk (removed by kRO, I believe), Venom Dust, and Soul Breaker/Destroyer.


	3. Chapter 2: Mai

That night would change his mind for good. His encounter with Crimson, the white-haired Assassin of the Cross, had taught the boy a few things about preparation. That's what he thought being an Assassin was: well-prepared. Of course, he had been taught to kill his target quickly and leave no traces of him.

_Damn it,_ the teen still held onto the small dagger that had stabbed his side from Crimson. _That guy... His speed is even faster than our guild leader's!_ Just thinking about how Naeel got his ass given to him from the Assassin Cross made him shiver. It wasn't because he's afraid of him. It was because how... _Powerful_, he was. Yeah, how powerful that man was.

Passing down through the night streets of Morroc, Naeel held his side tightly, preventing the blood to drip to the ground. Even though he was Cloaked, blood would still be visible to the human eyes. That's when he thought about the Assassin Cross. "..." Come to think of it... Why _did_ he become an Assassin? "Screw you," the teen muttered to himself, unsure of what he just thought and said. If Crimson would be able to defeat his leader quickly... What would that mean for being an Assassin Cross? He barely knew the meaning of being an Assassin. But what of the Assassin of the Cross?

"What the hell happened to you, Naeel!?"

A voice shot out towards the young teen as he appeared visible once more, holding onto the wall for support. Naeel looked up, seeing his comrade. It was Mai, a blue-haired assassin who wore a dark-brown version of the Assassin outfit. Her hand moved up to remove her scarf that covered her face – and dashed for the boy. _Mai..._

Inside the boy's eyes, Mai was like an older sister. She had taken care of Naeel for the longest time he could remember, and helped him in the worse of situations. Even when Naeel was still a Novice, Mai was there to help him train, which soon ended up in doing the same when the boy became a thief at eight years old. Mai was already an Assassin by the time she helped Naeel train from a Novice to a Thief. His journey in becoming an Assassin was long – since Mai had to leave the teen for a couple of years for a classified mission.

By the time she returned to Morroc from her mission three years later, Mai was excited to see Naeel become an Assassin at the age of eleven. That really surprised her, as well. She would remember what _she_ had to do to become an Assassin. And it was pretty long.

But aside from that, something else interested Mai. Why was Naeel using a dagger and a sword? Wasn't he taught to use katars and daggers? It seemed useless to an Assassin to use a weapon that wasn't fit for their class. But apparently, Naeel's ability and improvising surprised the woman and the whole guild – the boy is able to do the same actions of an Assassin, even with a sword.

But this wasn't a common sword. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew it was something that the Lord Knights, nor Paladin, wielded. In fact, this was the first time she saw the strange weapon. One thing that she understood was how heavy the sword was. Naeel would swing the sword like he's been trained with it for so long, while others who try to pick up the sword could barely lift it above their heads, let alone swing it properly. Maybe that was a drawback for any thief who would take his sword.

"I'm fine, Mai," Naeel said, walking towards her. He still breathed for some air, however, showing that he was lying.

"Fine, my ass; you're bleeding, kid."

The blue-haired Assassin went down to a knee, removing Naeel's hand from the side, seeing the hole pouring blood. She took note of the other wounds the teen had sustained, but this one seemed to be the main damage. Mai noticed the blood-stained knife that was held onto Naeel's grasp.

"Naeel...?" She was getting a weird idea that the boy might have done something crazy, like suicide. But why would he do something like that? "Did you... try to k-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Naeel placed his left thumb on her lips, his eyes staring into hers'. The teen shook his head slightly, lowering his thumb down.

"I've got some problems with some drunken Stalkers down at the Pub. Nothing more," he replied, wincing slightly as his eyes were semi-half-closed. In truth, he didn't want Mai to worry about him since she has done so much to him that he never even got the chance to say thanks, or even a little hug. He knew well to keep his emotions to himself since reckless actions would lead him to his death. But would saying 'thanks', or a hug, do him harm? Maybe. At least, that's what he thought.

"Don't lie to me, Naeel," Mai said, looking at the boy's wounds. They weren't fatal, but if it weren't treated, things would go downhill for the boy. "I've known you for so long that I can practically read your mind."

A soft smile appeared on her face as Naeel sighed deeply, seeing her mouth move. "..."

Silence.

"Naeel?"

"I had an unexpected encounter from another class," the teen finally replied, breaking the unnerving silence. "I wasn't prepared, like he told me."

The female assassin did what she could to treat the wounds on Naeel's body as she listened to him explain. "Who is it? Some knight who thinks he's powerful? A crusader, probably? Oh, oh! What about a rogue? Maybe a monk? Or a pries-"

One thing that interested Naeel about Mai was the fact that she can talk _a lot_, being an assassin. He knew that she loved to talk a lot, whether it was with friends, strangers, hell even sometimes by herself. How strange was that? Naeel never knew why she would talk to herself. Maybe it's to keep her mind off the thought of killing people during her missions. He doubted she was plain crazy.

A thumb, once more, stopped Mai's mouth from moving. The woman looked up at the boy, arching an eyebrow as she stopped talking.

"Mai," Naeel started again, staring into her eyes.

"Yush?" her muffled voice asked.

"..." His silence crept up into her eyes, down her spines – until... "You talk too much."

Mai tilted her head, pouting her cheeks as she stood, placing both hands on her hips. "Oh! How rude! I just wanted to know who attack you, Naeel."

"You wouldn't believe me," Naeel said. He has seen, and been, in useless fights with a few classes from the higher ups before, but never an Assassin Cross. Lord Knights, Stalkers, and probably a Sniper were the ones he had fought before, but never a Cross.

"C'mon, Naeel! I've seen you fight some of those higher classes before. Stop playing around with me and tell me who it was!"

The teen remained silent.

"Aw, Naeel!" Mai sat down with crossed legs, folding her arms across her chest. "C'mon! Stop teasing me!"

He could practically see her pleading for the answer. She was begging to know who it was. But Naeel knew very well what the answer would be if he told Mai that a Cross had attacked him. Mai had known Naeel for so long that she could read him like a book. But one thing she didn't know was that Naeel could do the same. He just never told her.

"Naeel! Tell me-"

"An Assassin Cross."

There was a long moment of silence that passed by the two assassins. Naeel was waiting very well and prepared for Mai's reaction. He could see her face frown from a smile, moving to her knees as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"W-what...? A Cross attacked you?" Mai was pretty much in disbelief. "Why would someone from the Cross attack you?"

"I dunno... He told me that our leader's going to-"

But this time, Naeel couldn't finish his sentence as Mai's next questioned made him stop, a big sweat-drop forming on his head as his eyes were closed, showing irritation.

"Was he hot?"

... See what he meant? Apparently, Naeel realized how desperate Mai was in finding a guy to date with. He didn't know why, but she just wanted one. A big sigh escaped from his lungs.

"I knew you were going to ask me that..."

"What? I just want to know, can't I?"

"No, you can't," Naeel said, showing more irritation as it grew on his face.

"That's not fair, Naeel. Can't you just describe me how he looked like?"

"..."

"... His face?"

"Evil."

"Eyes?"

"Evil."

"His appearance?"

"Evil."

"His butt?"

"Ev... ... What the hell?" Naeel was even more irritated now.

"C'mon! At least tell me how big his muscles were!"

Naeel finally opened his eyes, arching an eyebrow as a 'wtf' expression replaced his irritation.

"You know how I am! I could at least get to know about him so I can daydream about him, can't I?"

"Mai," Naeel stared into her eyes once more. "Shut up."

Mai sighed, giving a quick slap to the kid's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Naeel rubbed his head, feeling a bit better after Mai treated his wounds.

"For playing around with me, you brat," the woman stuck out her tongue, laughing.

"..."

Naeel stared at the woman for a moment, before walking past her as he shook his head with a sigh.

"Naeel..." Mai muttered to herself as she followed the boy towards the Morroc desert-sea. She and him had a mission to do, and now it's time to commence it. But in truth, she was worried about his emotions. Ever since Mai had left Naeel to train and become an assassin by himself, she never saw him smile, nor laugh, much at all anymore. She left for her mission, but she also hoped that doing so would teach him survival skills without having her around all the time. But she started to regret leaving him – because she thought she was responsible for making the teen into a heartless assassin. "..." How would he have known about her mission? Naeel was still training as a Thief while she was far away.

Author's Note:

This chapter is just here to introduce a new character to the story, just like the previous one. Not much to say here... What was Mai's mission? Who knows ;o Maybe I'll tell you the story one day. ...Or not. xD


	4. Chapter 3: Onto Prontera

"Naeel, wait up!"

Mai was a few meters behind the young assassin. They were barely a few steps away from Morroc, Naeel stopping at the top of a dune hill that had a lone tree. The teen folded his arm, sighing as he turned around back to his friend.

"This better not be about the Cross," Naeel said coldly. He was already irritated by being taught a few lessons from Crimson by getting defeated so easily.

Mai gave off a sigh, an annoyed, yet disappointed, look on her face appearing. "Okay, okay... We'll talk about him later."

"..." Naeel arched an eyebrow.

"It's about you," the female said. She finally caught up with the young teen, placing her hands on hips. "You're barely recovering from those wounds. You shouldn't be moving at all."

Naeel tilted his head, eyes closed. "...No need to worry," he replied, moving his sakkat lower to cover part of his eyes. "I can move perfectly on my own." Though he did stumble a bit, Naeel was doing okay. The wounds were pretty much nearly healed completely. He looked at the hole on his outfit, showing Mai that the wound had stopped bleeding. "I'm lucky enough he didn't put poison in the dagger."

"Yeah," Mai said, concerned about her younger friend. ...She was seriously worried about him. If anything happened to him, she would only feel guiltier than now. "But please, Naeel."

The teen moved the sakkat up higher, his eyes staring at her. "What is it, this time?"

"... Don't do anything reckless," she told him. Her face was pretty much the answer to Naeel's question. He knew that she was concerned about him. Her eyes gleamed at him in a way that would make men fall in love with her. But to Naeel, she was his older sister. "You're like a little brother to me."

At that moment, Naeel felt like his cold heart has been kissed and hugged by the sun. He could feel his heart melt; it felt warm. Inside. His usual serious face that was plastered on his face was now semi-surprised. His eyes were opened slightly wide, his mouth nearly frowning. "..." At the same time, his heart felt like being shattered into a million pieces.

When she told him that last phrase, Naeel replied something that surprised both Mai and himself. It was something that the female would never hear him say such a thing after so many years of showing little emotion. Because of that, Mai could feel better in herself, relieved that she might not have been responsible for making the teen be so cold.

"And you're like a sister to me."

In truth, Naeel did have a family. In Lutie, actually. But something happened to them. Over at Morroc, the teen trained to become an assassin with Mai. Ever since then, he thought of her as his mother and sister. Heck, she was the only person closest to be considered as a family. What happened to his family? He didn't know the truth. Naeel would dare not to break ties with his family. But he started to move pass those ties when he became an assassin. His dad was a whitesmith while his mother was a sniper. His brother was a stalker. Not one of them remains.

"Naeel..." Mai responded to his unexpected answer. She moved closer to him, and wrapped her arms around his small body. "I'm so sorry."

"..." Naeel fell silent, only to remain in place as Mai let go of the embracement. He gave off a quick, yet small, smile, towards his friend, before his face was soon replaced by the same cold expression for the past years. "C'mon," the teen finally said, "let's get moving."

Mai nodded with a smile as she watched the young boy place his scarf over his nose, covering the lower half of his face. She did the same, following the young teen a few inches behind him.

_What is she apologizing for?_ Naeel thought. _If she thinks I became like this because she left,_ he turned his head slightly to see Mai giving off a smirk. _...Then I should be the one apologizing._

"Mai," Naeel started, continuing his path down the dune hill. "Can I ask you a question?"

The female looked down towards her friend, a few inches down the dune hill from her. "Sure. What is it?"

"..." Naeel stopped for a moment, but his feet kept moving. "Let me think for a bit," the teen said.

"...?" Mai arched an eyebrow, tilting her head to see if Naeel was doing something in front of his body so she wouldn't be able to see what it was. Then again, she thought that maybe he did need to think first.

It took him a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He didn't want to ask her a personal question, but at the same time, what he wanted ask _could_ be one. Hell, for all he knew, she probably didn't even want to talk about it. ...But would it _do harm_?

"When you left while I was training to become an assassin," Naeel started, turning his head slightly. "...What did you have to do?"

From that moment, Naeel knew that Mai froze. He didn't hear her footsteps; he didn't turn his vision around as well. He just knew that she stopped. Soon, the teen slowed down, eventually coming to a halt.

"I..." Mai started in a broken voice. "I-I... I had to..."

Then, the only thing you could hear was the desert's wind. Mai placed a hand over her chest, looking down as her eyes were shut tight. She wanted to cry. She didn't want to repeat what she had to do that day. At least, she didn't want to be _reminded_, ever, about that mission. Being an assassin would mean loyalty and doing anything for yourself and the guild. The assassin guild was a mystery since most assassins who remains in the guild stays hidden. Other assassins that people see walking around; talking and having fun like them would only show that they are not part of the guild. At least, not anymore. But doing something for the guild involved ending someone's life. Most of the time.

_I thought so._

"Naeel... I'm sorry, but I-"

"No need to finish."

The female looked up at her friend, her little brother, her eyes nearly filled with tears. "But... Can't you at least let me tell you the tru-"

"That's enough."

Although the teen didn't shout, Mai could hear him clearly as though he did. She frowned, wiping her eyes with her scarf, sniffing.

"I want to see the truth myself," Naeel said.

Mai nodded slowly, walking towards her comrade as she followed him.

"I might have figured what happened to my family."

Mai gasped, a hand covering her mouth as the female assassin was shocked with tears finally covering her cheeks. "...! Naeel, I didn't- I- ... I ha- It was for...!"

For an odd reason, Mai wanted to blurt out the truth. But she remembered what the teen said. He wanted to see the truth himself; not hear it from someone else.

"I told you, Mai; it's okay. It was for the guild, right?" Naeel turned his head – and smiled, even though the scarf covered his mouth. "I know I shouldn't have asked, but now I have a clue."

The teen took off his sakkat, his black hair brushed by the desert wind. He walked towards the trembling woman – and placed the straw hat on her head. "Tell the guild I'm sorry." Naeel gave her a smile, hugging her – and kissed her cheek.

"Naeel, why are y-"

The moment she opened her eyes after the teen hugged her, Mai realized that the kid had vanished. She didn't know where, nor did she know how he did. "Naeel!?" she shouted, her voice echoing through the desert wind. No response.

"Where did you go...?"

Mai wiped the tears on her face and eyes, taking off Naeel's sakkat. She sighed heavily – and noticed that there was fresh blood that stained the teen's hat. And from the pattern of the blood, it was from his hand. "..." There was nothing she could do now. All she could do is pray and hope that Naeel wouldn't do anything reckless and stupid that might lead to his death.

"Don't be stupid, kid..."

------------

It's been almost a week since Naeel had given Mai his sakkat. The teen vanished without a trace from the desert; from her friend – and he managed to make his way to Prontera City alone. He was in a large field of grass and trees, but in the near distance, Naeel could clearly see the walls of Prontera. The teen lowered his hood, his eyes shot forward towards two people who were armed with a spear and sword. They wore armor of sorts, and the helm covering their heads had an insignia. No doubt these guys were guards from the Prontera Army.

One of the guards walked forward, stopping Naeel in his tracks. The teen looked up slightly, breathing in a huge breath, wiping a sweat off from his forehead. "Something wrong?" the boy asked.

"No," the guard said. "But we need to know your business here. Where did you come from?" The taller man inspected the young boy's cloak – which was pretty much roughed up; holes and rips. "And what happened to you?"

"Ah, that," Naeel started. "I walked out from Morroc, and I've been going around for roughly six days and five nights to find another town. I'm lucky enough to find Prontera."

The guard nodded, waiting for the other answer.

"As for that," the teen replied, opening his cloak. The hole that Crimson's dagger created was still there, blood staining the cloth around it. "I had to pick out some monsters that were chasing me. A bit outnumbered, you see?"

"A young boy like you shouldn't venture off so far from a town for so long." The guard stepped back to his original position, smiling towards Naeel. "Go ahead and pass. I do suggest that you should go get yourself patched up."

"Right," the teen said, putting the cloak back on. He passed through the two guards, finally entering the city. Stopping a few steps from the south entrance / exit of Prontera, Naeel turned his head slightly, sighing slightly in relief. _Good thing I changed my outfit._

If he was an assassin, he would have sneaked in. But in the condition he's in now, he would've made a noise or two while cloaked. So he decided to change his appearance. It wasn't much of a different; his scarf was now black, tying lightly around his neck. His hands held no more gloves; his hands were now visible without the assassin uniform. The torso was covered in black cloth that had fit him neatly, as well as his lower part. He got rid of the shoes – and now he's only wearing sandals. With a pair of dirty, white socks.

"Where to now?" the teen mumbled. "I guess I should go get my injuries healed..."

A sigh escaped his lungs as Naeel pressed on, going deeper into the city of Prontera. People were here and there, walking and talking as they pleased. Merchants, black and whitesmiths were selling their goods and services. Priests, high priests, lord knights and knights, paladins, crusaders, stalkers, assassins...

The teen had never been to a big city like this. It was his first time being here, actually. The people around him were amazing. They were all mixed with different classes, both novices and up. There were even people who had no classes at all. One thing that interested him though... Out of all of these classes, the crosses were rarely out. Are assassin crosses _that_ hidden to everyone? Not everyone here seemed to have liked them. But there are a few couples that had a cross for a husband or a wife. Or even a girl / boyfriend. Maybe they were like those guilds-less assassins. They didn't have a guild to go back to. They seemed happy. Like a family.

_Like a family, huh?_

Yeah, like a family, Naeel. If only he could see the _whole truth_, then maybe. Just maybe... He could feel how it was to have a family. How sad...

The teen stopped. He saw the fountain with the statue of Odin at the top. Benches were parked around it; couples were kissing, hugging, or talking very closely either on or around them. The teen turned his attention around this area, noticing a few people staring at him. He shrugged it off by walking east of the fountain. Passing through a small alleyway, Naeel found a giant wooden sign that showed "Inn". Now would be a good time to wash up and rest.

"Room for one," the teen said, taking out a few zenny.

"I'm sorry, sir," the female clerk said, bowing slightly. "But all the rooms are occupied until tomorrow."

"..." Naeel placed the money back inside his cloak. "Right."

Taking a walk back to the fountain, Naeel sat on one of the empty benches. "Guess I'll be sleeping here tonight," he muttered, sighing. The teen held his sword with his left hand. Although he hid it underneath the cloak, it was longer than him. He sat back, resting his head on the bench. Soon enough, he fell asleep during the day.


	5. Chapter 4: Home

It was on that same day Naeel woke up. Things have gotten quieter, but couples in love were still out, taking a look at the beautiful view of the stars above them from the fountain. The teen looked about; lamps and torches were lit around the fountain to show path. Streets had tall and big lights that would make Prontera safe even at night. But there are also parts in the streets where lurkers would stalk their prey.

"Night time, huh?" the teen muttered to himself. He stood up and stretched his arms and legs, also his back and head. Standing up, Naeel took a good whiff of the air. It may have been cold at night, but the view and air seemed better, he thought. He sat back down, holding and using his sword like a cane to support himself as he placed the hood over his head. The teen pulled the cloak closer to him, trying not to get affected by the cold. Now wasn't the time to catch one.

_Ruffle..._ _Hehe...!_

"...?"

The fountain emitted a noise of water gushing slightly to the pond, and it sounded like a small river. You could probably hear it if you're half-way near one of the four exits of Prontera. But that wasn't the noise his ears picked up. It sounded like a person being dragged. There also came a sound as if someone had their mouth covered and they tried to scream.

And he was right. Or at least, he assumed it was what he thought it saw. Not far from the fountain, several yards in front, the noise came from there. It was quite dark, but some of the light did help the teen notice what it was. Two men who seemed drunk went inside an alleyway, and another man was behind them, holding a female aggressively. He held her neck with one arm while the other hand was placed over her hand. She was struggling.

"And you know what that means," the teen muttered to himself. He stood up from the bench once more and started to walk silently towards the group. From what he's seen, Morroc barely gets multiple cases of rape. He thought the town was the only place such a thing would occur, but he's learned the difference when he saw that.

No matter the number of people he has assassinated for his missions, Naeel disliked seeing people being at a disadvantage. And when he means disadvantaged, he means a prey being outnumbered by predators. The same thing would imply here. Naeel disliked seeing a person, male or female, getting them into a situation. This was also the same for animals and monsters Naeel encountered.

"Let go of me!" the woman struggled, desperately trying to break free of the man's grasp. Her mouth was continuously covered by his hand.

"Heh heh! C'mon lady!" one of the other man said, holding a knife. "We just wanna have some fun; get what I mean?"

The other and third man laughed, brushing the woman's hair – then her cheeks. "You're a real purty girl, y'know? That's why we came 'n picked ya. Ha ha!"

Several meters above the group, Naeel looked down upon them from the roofs. From what they were wearing, the woman was a priest. Parts of her dress were torn by those men. The one holding the priest was a paladin, and the other two were stalkers. The teen sighed.

"Don't you dare touch me, you dirty pervert!" the woman hissed, still struggling to break free.

"Stop resistin' love; you'll only tire yourself," the paladin said, smiling as he smelled her neck. "Hmm, you've got a good smell on ya!" Naeel aimed the base of his sword down towards the paladin. The moment he let it fall, the teen quickly jumped down, landing behind the two stalkers.

The paladin saw the small figure land from above and was shocked to see the teen quickly knocked his two friends out cold. They had their heads struck each other, and was thrown back on their head, falling unconscious.

"Why you rotten, little-!"

The paladin threw the girl to the side, taking out his claymore – and fell down unconscious as the sword from above landed square on his head. The teen figured it would knock someone out big like him, weighting heavily and all. "Thanks," he muttered as he picked up the sword, placing it back under his cloak.

Naeel turned his attention towards the priest, who now stood with the help of the wall. One of her hand held her side, blood crawling down from her cheek; it was from that small knife the stalker held. A simple heal spell should be able to take care of that easily. Other than that, she seemed to be fine. Her clothes weren't, however. Naeel pulled down his cloak – and placed it over the woman's shoulder, indicating her to cover herself.

With a final sigh, the teen turned and headed out the alleyway.

"Wait!" the priest yelled out as she struggled to follow the teen. "Can I at least say thanks?"

Naeel stopped walking, turning his head slightly. "You just did."

Though she saw what he wore, the priest couldn't get a good view of the boy's face; only that he had black hair. "Thanks again," she muttered, smiling. "What's your na-"

Naeel turned his head forward once more. "Get somewhere warm and safe. I suggest you don't travel alone at night since idiots like them are likely to appear." Then he started to walk once more.

The priest seemed to have healed herself so she could go run back home. She wanted to know his name, but getting home safe seemed like a better idea.

_Good,_ the teen thought, sighing in relief. In truth, facing more than one class from the higher ups would have been a new challenge for Naeel. But since they were drunk...? Well, let's just say he was lucky.

Reaching back to the empty bench around the fountain, the teen sat back down – and held his sword closely. His eyes started to drift once more into darkness. He could feel the cold starting to crawl up his skin. The teen had given up his cloak, and now wore nothing but the simple clothing that covered two torsos, and the pair of socks and sandals. Yet again, Naeel soon fell quick asleep as he used the bench as a bed.

----------

Birds chirp from trees and on top of roofs. The fountain continued to emit its gushing sound. People were back on the streets, walking or talking, as they did their routine. Some stared at him. Others whispered to each other.

_Who is this kid? I've never seen him before, let alone his outfit..._

Naeel's eyes twitched slightly.

_Oh, he's getting up._

He opened his eyes and found a few people looking at him for a quick minute or half. They would then cough on purpose and look down, walking away as they talked about him. 'Who is he?' they whispered to each other as the other one would shake his head.

Naeel sighed, stretching as he looked around the city's square. People seemed to have filled the empty streets once more during the day. Looking down, Naeel was lucky enough that none of what he had got stolen; especially his sword. "When did she...?"

The teen arched an eyebrow, surprised to see the same cloak he used and gave to that priest last night was now covering him like a blanket. When did that priest return the cloak? Probably while he was still asleep. He placed it around himself.

A few moments later, Naeel had finished up registering for a room at the Inn for three days and four nights. It sure as hell beats the crap of sleeping out in the cold; especially with barely any proper clothes.

"Speaking of clothes," the teen thought, looking around at the merchants selling their goods. Maybe now was a good time to get some proper clothes. His injuries have healed better over time since that incident with Crimson. Naeel took out his pouch of zenny, counting what remaining coins he has left. "Should be good enough."

After hours of walking around to get a good pattern of this city, Naeel stopped somewhere near the east exit. Merchants were here as well, and one he found was selling clothes. The teen went over to look at what selections they had for sale – when something else caught his attention. Nearby one of the street lamps was a wall; a billboard, if you may. A small group of people gathered in front. He walked towards it – and managed to get in front of the billboard, papers posted here and there. All of them had descriptions, while nearly half provided pictures.

These papers seemed to have been bills posted for help. It looked like people who needed rewards, or simply for the thrill, would go for these hunts because the teen overheard a smaller group of people planning to clear out some zombies in the Payon Caves. Looking at varying papers, Naeel looked about them. There was one posted about clearing out some monsters down in Amatsu dungeon, and another about hunting down some giant bug far below. Probably all of these bills were requests for help in killing down some monsters. One bill seemed to interest him though.

"Help wanted in Lutie," the teen started to mutter, reading the fine prints on the rustled paper plastered on the board. Whoever wrote the bill was a child, saying that she needed help in finding her mother who got lost out in the snowy field. She was worried her mother could have been ambushed by monsters. _Why not?_ The teen thought. At the same time, he did need to go visit Lutie to see his old house again. Not only that, he didn't see any other bills posted about his home. _Please meet me at my house; it's four houses west from the giant tree in the middle_.

"Right," the teen ruffled his hair, making his way out of the crowd. He found a Kafra near the east exit, so he went there and asked for a warp to Lutie. Naeel didn't have much zenny left, but warping to Lutie wasn't that much, either. He sighed before the Kafra woman chanted the spell, and nodded to her. Covered in blue and white light, the teen felt himself being lifted a few inches off the ground – and found the environment around him change. The bright and sunny atmosphere was suddenly covered in bright snow falling slowly. "Lutie..."

The teen muttered a few words to himself as he knelt down, touching the snow. The cold material that looked like soft, white fabric felt cool on his touch. A few minutes on his hands, the snow melted into water, dropping back down to the field of white fabric. The teen looked up at the snow flakes falling ever so slowly from the heavens to Midgard. He pitied the fact that snow didn't cover much of the kingdom's area. Then again, living in a world where cold and snow took over might have changed a lot of... Of everything.

Looking forward, Naeel placed his hood over his head, wrapping the cloak tighter around him as he stared at the southern exit of Lutie.

"Welcome to Lutie, young sir!" a voice came from behind him.

He turned his head, looking over his right shoulder, seeing the Kafra woman bow with a smile. She was wearing the same outfit as the ones he saw in Morroc and Prontera. Do all servers of Kafra have one uniform?

"We hope you will enjoy your stay here, no matter how long you plan to," she continued in welcoming the teen. She was slightly confused, though, when she saw Naeel's attention towards her back. The woman turned to realize that he looked at the tall Christmas tree. "Oh, taken a fancy, hmm? This tree happens to be grown in the middle of Lutie."

As interesting as it was, Naeel didn't take much time in looking at the gigantic tree. He nodded his head as the woman explained about the tree, but he had important matters at hand. Naeel cuts her off.

"Sorry, lady, but I'm in a hurry," he suddenly said, catching the woman off-guard. "Do you know anything about a kid who needed help with their mother?"

The Kafra woman rubbed her chin, muttering, "a child, hmm?" It took her but a few seconds to reply. "Oh! Are you referring to the child who posted a bill of sort?" She only smiled more when Naeel replied with a quick motion of his head.

"Then you'd want to go that way," she said, pointing to her right, "down four houses. The house has a blue door, and the child you speak of is Jenny."

"Four houses down with a blue door... Got it," the teen replied as he kept his attention towards the direction of the house. The woman bowed down to him once more as she watched the teen make his leave for the house before saving his warp point here. It took him a few minutes to get there since he took his time in walking to the mark, taking a good look around the houses on the way. One house had a green door, and the one after that – had a brown door.

Naeel stopped in his tracks, his eyes glued to the door of the snow-covered house. His trance led him back to a far-off memory that's like a scattered dream. _Welcome home, son! Did you manage to get what you wanted? No? How come?_

Voices started to crawl back into his mind when the teen was but a child. _You've got to take good care of your mother when I'm gone, son. Remember that well._

Suddenly, Naeel heard Mai's voice. _You may not believe me, Naeel, but you'll know everything when you get inside._ And going inside something he will do. _Planned_ to do. Right now, he's got something else in mind. Some seconds after passing by his home, Naeel found the blue-door house.

"A house with a blue door," the teen muttered to himself, walking up the set of small steps. He reached the doorway, and raised up a hand to knock on the wooden surface – when it suddenly flung open. "...!?" Taken by surprise, Naeel arched an eyebrow as his hand held onto his sword (even though it was under his cloak) as a woman, who seemed to be a fresh adult, stood in front of him with slightly red eyes.

"Please tell me you're here to help!" she pleaded, her eyes once more prepared to shed more tears. She was practically hanging onto the door, her body trembling. Naeel released the grasp of his sword as his hands lowered his hood and the black scarf that covered his lower face.

"Were you the one who posted the bill?" the teen asked. Wasn't it a child who did that?

"That was my little sister, Jenny," she replied – and not far from behind the woman came a little girl, who couldn't have been older than eight, walked into view. "Please, come in; we'll explain the situation inside."

Fifteen minutes after the door flung open, Naeel was sitting down on a chair, in front of the two female relatives as the fireplace was burning fire, warm heat replacing the teen's cool skin. His cloak was hanged on a coat hanger near the door. He sipped the hot tea quickly.

"Thank goodness help has arrived," the young woman said, wiping her eyes as she finally calmed down. "I'm getting worried by the passing minute..."

The teen placed the cup of tea down as sat forward, placing both elbows on his knees, hands over his chin. "The bill concerns of your mother, yes?" the teen asked, seeing the little girl – Jenny, he presumed – nod along with her sister. "Where is she as we speak?"

"She's been out in the fields since last evening. Mother should have been home before night time. Oh, I'm sorry. As you know, this is my sister, Jenny," the woman mentioned towards the little girl, who waved in reply, "and I'm Sally."

"Naeel," the teen bluntly said, introducing himself as he nodded.

"Mommy is on her way home, isn't she Sally?" the little girl asked, holding onto her sister's hand. The older sister could only nod in reply as she swallowed hard. "What would happen if brother didn't-"

"Don't say that, Jenny! You know Ben is a strong brother..."

Naeel's eyes switched back and forth towards the sisters as they talked. "This Ben brother... He is with your mother?"

"Ya," Jenny replied.

"He left last night in hopes of finding her, but he said he'd return a few hours ago..." Sally sighed, rubbing her head. "Please, will you accept my help?" the woman pleaded – and her mouth smiled, her heart eased, as Naeel nodded. "Thank you."

The discussion didn't take long, as planned, since time was ticking. Sally had given Naeel a pair of slotted boots, ear muffs, and a mink coat. They were part of the reward, and the young woman agreed with Naeel to pay the other half at the end. After a few more 'thanks' and 'farewells', the teen started to make his way back to the Kafra woman. He left his cloak over Sally's house.

"Storage," he dully said. The Kafra lady was first confused at what he wanted, but she realized that he wanted to open his storage. She pointed out to him that the Kafra Storage system is towards the southern exit of Lutie. There, Naeel quickly took a quick look at what items he contained. Out of all the many items he had – ranging from simple loot to cards and armors to weapons – Naeel drew out two Yggdrasil Seeds, five Fly Wings, and two Butterfly Wings.

"Thank you for using Kafra Storage. We hope to see you soon," the woman bowed as Naeel left Lutie. As the teen passed through the bridge, the snow that fell was less than nearly half-an-hour ago. Blue porings bounced around, passing by the assassin. White, bear-like creatures, Sasquatch, walking on two legs here and there – and a few ice wolves howled. _Garm babies, huh?_ These creatures would only make the hunt even more thrilling. What he failed to realize was that their mother was a few fields farther.

A/N: Nothing much to say, I guess... R&R please:3 Oh, and I'm still thinking about what Mai said ;;


	6. Chapter 5: Garm

_Ouwuuuuu..._

A lone howl crawled to the fields – and then another. One by one, those Garm babies howled, each one coming from different direction. _If I remember, mother and Ben are beyond southeast,_ the teen took note of what Sally said to him. _Please be careful._

He stepped onto the dead Sasquatch, pulling his sword out from its flesh. Naeel swung the sword, spilling out some of the blood that stained the steel. "If only they weren't so aggressive," he sighed, wiping the snow that remained on his shoulders with a quick brush. "Better find them quick," he walked forward once more, heading south towards the next field. "...Or history will repeat itself."

The snow on the ground wasn't thick, but Naeel still had to lift up his feet higher than usual to walk past the area. One area caught him by surprise – as the teen's right foot poked through the snow, stopping when it reached knee-level. Using his sword as a supporting stick, he lifted his sunken foot out and began to walk even farther south.

By the passing minute as the snow fell slowly to the fields, Naeel started to remember how he and _his_ brother would travel out in the fields to do some item-hunting. Jack, was it? Yeah. Being a class higher than the boy, Naeel looked up at his brother; always there to protect him when stronger enemies appeared, or when someone stronger bullied him. Naeel's had his share of fending off jerks and some higher monsters by himself, but he knew that he couldn't do everything by himself. But he was older now. He needed to learn that experience – and do everything by himself. If possible.

Entering the new field, Naeel looked around. He's been out of Lutie before. ...But never here. It wasn't different than the one he passed through; snow-covered trees here and there, some houses surrounded by protective fences, and more of those same monsters. It was here that Naeel encountered his second Garm baby. This time, however, it was with another baby. "There are more of them lately... I need to find them quickly."

Raising his Chokuto, Naeel stepped in, rolling to the left and then vaulted as the two Garm babies jumped and missed him. One of them growled, and lunged once more towards the assassin. Naeel let his body fell back as the baby jumped at him. The moment the teen fell to the snow, he thrust the blade straight into the creature's belly, who yelped in pain. Flipping backwards to stand back up, he kicked the creature, the blade sliding off from the creature – landing a few inches from its friend.

It took a few tries for the injured one to get back up on four paws, but the poison seemed to have come to full effect soon after it was jabbed. Landing down on its belly once more, the baby whimpered and fell limp – as the body started to melt like ice. The friend growled, even more frustrated now, as it watched its friend die. It stood in position, growling for what seems to be an eternity – until it lunged forward again towards the boy.

This time, another baby seemed to have snuck up behind Naeel. Before it would let him react, the baby wolf opened its jaw – and bit the teen's right leg. Cursing in his mind as he looked down towards the other ice wolf, Naeel gritted his teeth, growling in pain. "!?"

Eyes darted forward – and Naeel came face-to-face with another jaw. Open wide, the creature was merely inches in front of the teen's neck, prepared to shut its jaw tight to rip out his flesh. He stood frozen, his body suddenly moving on its own. With his left hand, a dagger went through the creature's mouth, piercing through its frozen body as several of its fangs stabbed the teen's arm. As he fell back, Naeel took out his blade – and swung it across the side of the lower wolf, sending it flying a few meters.

"Damn!" he muttered to himself as he watched the creature he had stabbed with the dagger still digging its set of fangs into his flesh. Dropping his sword, Naeel grabbed the wolf's upper jaw, trying to pry it open before it would pierce his bone. "Let go," he started to curse at the baby wolf, "of me!" Screaming in anger and pain, the teen's struggle proved successful – but it was more than he what he'd expected. The Garm baby yelped in utter pain as it could feel its jaw open wider than before. Wider and wider by the passing millisecond, the wolf bit more than he could chew – falling dead to the ground beside him as its jaw, broken, was shaped in a deformed pattern. Pushing the dead corpse as it melted, Naeel picked up his sword, standing up – and swung down, slicing the other wolf in the air in half, neatly through the middle behind him.

Sighing in relief, Naeel sheathed his sword as he put away his dagger. He looked at his arm, waving it around to thaw out the pain, as well as his foot. It looks like his leg didn't get as injured as his arm. "Onwards, eh?" he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

After some long moments of time passed, Naeel came about to a small cave that led underground. He saw some redness appear on the walls, and he figured a fire could be inside. _Heat,_ he thought. Out in this cold weather, who would be living here? They could take refuge in Lutie, can't they? Taking a few steps to the cave, the young assassin entered the cave slowly with caution.

He was right. In the middle of the small area, there was a fire created with some wood placed on top of each other. Naeel felt the warmth of the fire, once more, crawl over his body, and replacing heat over his cool body. Two figures were sitting near the fire. One was lying down with bandages covering their head and neck, along with the left shoulder and right leg, facing to the left. The other was next to them, tending to the wounds – when they noticed Naeel enter the caves.

"Who's there!?" one of them, a man, asked as the figure facing Naeel held onto a pike. The man was on his knees, eyes glared towards the teen – but lowered his weapon to realize it was someone, not some_thing_. "Oh, sorry 'bout that."

Naeel stepped closer, not minding the fire that warmed his body. There, he got a closer look at the two figures. The man was a monk, his robes torn slightly. He, too, was covered in bandages, but the one on the ground was even worse. The one on the ground was a female – and lord knight, actually – who was resting as her body was covered in bandages, blood staining them. She was breathing a bit faster than usual, a few sweat droplets appearing from her forehead. Her armor plates were lying next to her, and they were covered in claw-like holes. Looking at the claw marks, Naeel figured that something _big_ would've only been able to do that.

"What happened?" the teen lowered his scarf, walking closer towards the two. Staring at their faces, the teen noticed that the lord knight is older than the monk.

"We were on out way home to Lutie..." the female started to speak, wincing in pain. The monk stepped in closer, urging the lord knight to save her breath.

"Mother, please; don't waste your energy," the monk said as she replied with a slow nod. "We were ambushed by a mother Garm. We fended it off as we tried to return home, but it followed us. That's when we took refuge here."

Naeel arched an eyebrow when he heard 'mother'. Turning his head to the camp fire, he sat down, sighing in relief as the fire burned fiercely. "Mother?" the teen muttered as he looked at them. His eyes were on the lord knight, but soon shifted to the monk. "Are you Ben?"

The monk raised his head in surprise, eyes widened slightly, as his face was mixed with confuse. "Y-you... Know me?" he asked, sitting down next to the lord knight. He saw the teen reply with a simple shook of his head, an eyebrow arched.

"No," Naeel started. "But I've met your sisters; Sally and Jenny."

At the mention of those names, the female raised her head slowly. "You know my daughters...? Tell me, how are they doing?"

"Mother, please!"

Naeel stretched his neck. _Mission accomplished,_ he thought. "They're fine. But they won't be unless I return you both safe in one piece."

Ben looked at the teen. "They sent you to look for us?" He took note of the sword the young boy was holding. "You don't look like a knight... What are you?"

"..." Naeel took a moment to think about what he should say. "...Just... A drifter. Anyways, I've got to get you both back to Lutie." He stood up, brushing the snow off of himself. "Can you stand?"

"Yes, but mother barely can," the monk replied.

"Can you carry her?"

"I can try," Ben replied. Naeel nodded as he agreed to carry their equipments while the monk carefully brought his hands under the female lord knight. Lifting her up, the teen quickly took out a Butterfly Wing – and warped the three back to Lutie.

After nearly an hour or two when Naeel agreed to help Sally and Jenny, the doors flung open. The two sisters rushed and saw Ben and their mother return, along with the teen. A conversation soon started in the living room. The female lord knight rested calmly on the sofa. Ben and his younger sisters were kneeling down next to their mother, casting multiple heal spells. Jenny was an acolyte and Sally was a priest. Both of them were support classes, thank goodness, and Ben did what he can with his heal spell, being a monk. Naeel sat on a chair opposite of the family. He took off the mink coat, leaving his boots near the door. While the three children did the healing, Naeel took out a Yggdrasil Seed, letting the mother eat it as she gained back a great amount of strength.

"Thank you," Jenny said, breaking the trance Naeel was pondering in. She quickly stepped in, kissing Naeel on his cheek. "Mommy could have been gone if you didn't show up."

"That's right," Sally came in. "Had you not come any sooner, I don't know what could have happen."

Naeel nodded, ruffling Jenny's blonde hair as he took in a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes. "I only did what I came for." His eyes shifted from Sally, to Jenny – as he felt the wounds on his arm and leg getting healed. "Thanks."

Feeling better, the lord knight smiled at Naeel. "We should do the thanking. You've done a great service to us."

The teen watched as Sally left the room, returning with a pouch that jiggled every time it moved. "It may not be as much as you expect it to be, but please accept this." She moved towards the teen, offering the pouch of zenny to him. Taking the pouch, Naeel guessed an amount in his head as he felt the weight of it.

"I've got a question, though."

The family looked at him, seeing his eyes stare into the fire. "What is it?" the mother asked.

"Why were you out there in the first place?"

There was a moment of silence as Sally and Jenny looked at Ben and their mom. "Um..." Ben started to mumble.

"That's the funny part, actually." The lord knight finally said. She took a sigh, looking at the teen. "I agreed to hunt a mark, and that was the Garm I told you of." The gasps that spread to her children showed that only the mother knew. "A man who passed by told me that a Garm was nearby and it might take notice to Lutie. He said that a group of other people has already accepted, and is fighting it as we speak."

Naeel stared into her eyes, blinking a few times – before standing up. "Another hunt, hmm?"

"I'm not asking you to do it for me. I'm asking you to do it for Lutie."

He stretched his neck, placing the mink coat over his body, placing his boots back on, as well as his ear muffs. "I know." He took note of Garm's description; attacks, abilities, spawning babies.

"If things do go well," she said before Naeel opened the door, "tell the Kafra lady of my name, Heather, and the Garm hunt. She should know where to lead you."

Naeel stared at the door, nodding as he opened it. Without looking back, Naeel closed the door. A big sigh rushed out from his lungs, the cool, cold air going in as he breathed in. "A Garm... I forgot how big they were..."

Returning to the caves (thanks to luck and his Fly Wings), Naeel took a few moments to warm himself with the fire before he left the cave. Not far from where he was, he could hear a larger howl than the ones the baby Garms have emitted – along with sounds of fighting. "Seems like the fight's already on..." Placing the black scarf over his nose, Naeel took the initiative to travel towards the sound, cloaked.

In the midst of the battle was the Garm that Heather spoke of. Garm babies surrounding their mother were fighting a small group of people around them while other classes from the higher ups were tempting to kill the Garm. She was right; other people seem to have expected this hunt. That must have mean the rewards would be decent. There were a lot of varying classes, both from the higher ups and not, fighting Garm and her babies, both male and females. Hunters, Snipers, Stalkers, Assassins, Knights, Crusaders, Paladins, Lord Knights, Clowns and Gypsy, Professors... Most of them were main attackers, while the rest were High Priests who healed those in need, Wizards and High Wizards attacking from range along with the arrow-users, as well as the Professors. _This seems a bit too much for them..._

As much as it surprised him, the number of people who agreed to kill Garm was quite plenty. But the fact that there were no Crosses – not even _one_ – only increased the respect he had for them. Why do they interest him so much?

"Double Strafe!" Hunters and Snipers launched their arrows as they pierced Garm, but nearly half broke at her armor-like frozen skin.

"Take this!!!" Knights, Crusaders, Paladins, and the Lord Knights, along with the Assassins, rushed in all at once, to swing their weapons at the mother Garm; Bash, Bowling Bash, Pierce, Spear Stab, and Sonic Blow. All of them were damaging her frozen skin, but it only made her angrier.

"Jupitel Thunder!" Wizards and High Wizards, along with some magic Stalkers, cast the wind-based spells onto the incoming Garm babies, fending them off. The babies weren't that hard to kill, but the mother Garm was spawning them faster than they were dying. "This is useless!!"

"No! We have to keep trying; Lutie might be destroyed if we let it get closer!" a High Priest said, continuing to cast her buffs at the current group of people fighting the giant wolf. So far, Naeel took note of the two assassin bodies, both male and female, lying limp next to the priest. The Garm might have been outnumbered, but her strength was far greater than all of these warriors' combined. Lutie was his hometown. And he wasn't about to let some giant wolf destroy it.

The High Wizards, all of them, were prepared in casting a powerful and large spell, Lord of Vermillion, but they were often interrupted by Garm's Storm Gust. "Urgh... We need time to cast the spell!" And by that comment, Naeel knew that was the key in stopping Garm.

Still cloaked, Naeel quickly closed the gap between him and the monster. Silently jumping over the babies, passing through some of the fighters, Naeel jumped towards the Garm – as his body appeared. Taking out his sword, the teen thrust the sword with everything he had, managing to pierce through its tough skin. He then jumped on top of the creature, now stabbing his heavy steel deep into the back of the creature. A deep growl and howl emitted from Garm as it tried to pry Naeel off from his back, but the teen held onto the sword with his hands.

The group saw everything happen quite quickly, surprised to see that this _kid_ managed to pierce her skin. "Wha... Who and where did he come from!?" one of the paladins said, taking a step back. "No matter; he is helping us right?" Taking a hold of his spear, the paladin started to attack the Garm as the rest started to make quick disposure of the babies.

With Garm distracted, the babies were finally gone, and only three of the fighters were injured heavily, getting some heavy heals in return. All the Wizards and High Wizards, along with the bow-users, stopped attacking the monster, afraid that they might hit the teen. But the boy shouted something that they were hesitant not to.

"What are you waiting for!?" the boy struggled to stay on top of the creature, holding onto his sword. "Cast that Vermillion spell!!"

The melee users ran back behind the priests to get out of range while the magicians were unsure. "Are you insane!? You'll be killed!"

"You want to stop this thing, don't you!? Just do it, damn it!" he yelled over Garm's growling in pain and annoyance. While he held on, he could feel his body starting to turn cold, his fingers numb. "Or _all_ of us will be killed!"

The magicians cursed under a breath, still trying not to cast the spell. But then again, they thought that if Garm would still lurk around near Lutie, more people would die rather than just one. "You're choice, mate," a male High Wizard said. With Garm surrounded, all the Wizards and High Wizards raised their staff, tremendous amount of magic auras surrounding each one. "Amplify!" the High Wizards cast upon them – and started the Vermillion spell. The Professors cast Violent Gale to increase the spell's power.

A white line started to appear around Garm, forming into multiple lines, which in turn created a ritual-like pattern. More and more of them soon started to form around the creature as each magic user prepared Lord of Vermillion. The spell took roughly six seconds to cast since they were using all of their energy in this spell. In unison, the magicians shouted the spell while the Professors cast their share of lightning spells.

"Lord of...!!"

"Thunder...!!"

Up from the heavenly skies, the clouds turned a yellow-like red color as they formed into a circular form, a hole in the middle of them opened, a large blue energy forming, along with a red-like orange magic. The magicians grasped their staffs tighter, concentrating in using their full potential.

And not a second later, Naeel quickly reacted; the teen jumped off from Garm's back, pulling out his sword. As he fell down to the snow, the teen slashed at the creature's left eye, blue-like white ooze coming out from it. Once the teen landed on the snow, he quickly sheathed his sword – and dug deep below the ground, hiding from the spell's effect. It all happened in a split second. He thought he wouldn't make it since he heard the spell being called out as he fell to the ground. The moment he landed, he could fell the powerful force of energy pushing down on him. His heart only skipped but a beat.

"...Vermillion!"

"...Storm!"

_**BA-DOOM! KRAAAAAS!**_

The spell soon came down from high above the clouds, the powerful wind-based spells coming down upon the creature. As it felt the powerful magic come crashing down on her, Garm growled in pain. Multiple Thunderstorms and Lord of Vermillion spells surrounded the gigantic wolf. The spell emitted a humongous scream of lightning cracking in the air. The whole spell lasted nearly a full four seconds. Snow was plastered everywhere as smoke covered the area. The group coughed through the debris, brushing off the snow that covered. As they watch the snow and smoke clear out, Garm laid on the ground, heavily injured. To their surprise, the group was shocked to see that it still struggled to move.

"Impossible... It still moves!" the Paladin earlier had shouted. The Wizards and High Wizards, along with the Professors, were barely standing up straight as they used up most of their energy in the spell. Everyone was pretty much tired, and they didn't have much strength to move. Trouble was their next turn. They watch as a patch of snow near the struggling Garm move – and up came Naeel. He sighed and breathed heavily. "Move it, kid! It still moves!" Naeel arched an eyebrow as he walked towards the Paladin, his head turning slowly towards Garm. It howled, a large sound filling the air. The teen only shook his head as he looked down.

"Not anymore."

As if on cue, another six seconds have passed after the spells were cast – and a small explosion burst came from inside Garm, purple-like clouds emitting around her before it vanished. The giant wolf fell down, dead, as her body started to melt to ice. "Well, I'll be..." an assassin smiled, chuckling. Though the group saw what clothes the teen wore, knowing what spells a person uses also reveals what class they are from. "Venom Splasher... He's one of us. Hey, kid! Nice stunt you pulled back there." They smiled in return – but soon frowned, in shock, as Naeel suddenly fell down to the snow.

As the group rounded up around him, one of the priests examined him. "He's still alive, but..." They noticed that his fingers were covered in ice. Looking beyond the boy's mink coat, she pressed a hand on her chest – on his body, really. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" one of the female snipers asked.

"He's frozen still; Garm's body must have slowly caused his body to freeze while he was on top of her back," the priest started to cast a heal spell on the boy. "Let's head back to Lutie; we'll treat him over there." Nodding in agreement, the high priests raised up a hand, a blue circle forming around the group.

A few seconds later, the Kafra woman was taken by surprise as a semi-large sum of people warped to view. Bowing, the woman smiled in welcoming them to Lutie. But she stopped, seeing that the group was the one who accepted to hunt down Garm. Were they successful? She didn't know. But she saw Naeel out cold. Immediately, she pointed the group towards Heather's house.

"Naeel!?" Sally yelled out to the young boy as she saw the group of people enter her giant house. "What happened!?"

"We'll tell everything later; he needs to be treated quickly!" A sniper woman said, carrying the kid on her back.

"Up the stairs, second door to the far right...!" She pointed out as a High Priest and the Sniper left towards the room to treat the kid. The remaining group gathered around the fire. It _was_ a pretty big house. They had a discussion about what happen out back there. Naeel, on the other hand, felt his body feel colder, his heart beating less and less.


	7. Chapter 6: A warm, yet frozen, Memory

"Hold up his head, Yuri," the high priest said as she finished casting her heal spell. The female sniper nodded, placing her hand under the teen's cold neck, lifting his head at a slanted angle. With the other hand, Yuri took the cup of hot liquid lying on the table to her left – and tilted it at Naeel's lips, slowly letting the hot liquid into his mouth, crawling down his throat and soon to his stomach. The liquid wasn't water; nor was it tea. It was a mixture of plants and herbs that the high priest created.

Once consumed, the half-full cup was placed back at the table. Yuri placed the boy's head down on the pillow. With her gloves off, she placed a hand over the teen's naked chest. His heart thumped at a quickened pace. "He's still cold... At this rate, he could freeze to death, Lily," she sighed heavily, feeling chills down her spines as her hand felt Naeel's frozen body.

Lily, on the other hand, shook her head. "No! I'm not giving up yet," she said to her friend. The high priest looked down at Naeel, dipping the rag into a bowl of hot, steaming water. She compressed the towel, placing it on top of his chest. Yuri did the same with compressing another towel and placed it over his stomach. "I won't stop until I see for myself that God has taken a young soul."

Yuri smiled at her friend's confidence. What surprised her even more was the amount of sympathy Lily has towards others; even strangers. The female sniper held one of Naeel's hands, placing her other hand over the same one. His fingers were cold; most likely numb. His hand was shaking – and unconsciously, he grasped her hand. The teen opened his mouth slightly, breathing heavily, as the cold seemed to have lain still in time. His body's temperature stopped in decent, and very slowly, he was getting warmer, bit by bit. But that didn't mean he could still freeze to death. "Stupid kid; you shouldn't have gone out wearing only those clothes..." Yuri took note of the piece of equipments the boy only wore; ear muffs, boots, and a mink coat – yeah, they did provide some protection from the cold. But other than that, his black clothing was barely enough to protect his body and lower torso.

Meanwhile, down at the lobby floor, the group of people who participated in hunting down Garm was now lowered by nearly half as many considered to use the Inn, while others were scattered around Heather. Some staid outside her house to simply sit there. "Tell me; what has happened to that boy, Baal?"

One of the Lord Knights shook his head, his Drooping Cat dangled over his head as he placed down his katana next to a pillar. "We were still fighting that Garm we agreed to stop. As you've seen, even our numbers in strength barely could pierce her." The man stretched his neck as he sat down on the ground, next to the pillar where his sword rested against.

The Paladin from earlier, Earl, continued. "He is the same as Jaiden," the man pointed out towards one of the three assassins, "but he managed to shove _his_ sword into Garm." Walking towards Heather, Earl picked up a dark green handle of a sword, similar to Baal's katana, his Roman Helm still covering his head. But this was no easy feat. With both, armored, hands, the Paladin struggled, picking up the sheathed sword on the ground. Reaching the female lord knight, Earl placed the sword down in front of her, a heavy and deep _thump_ sound emitted from the weapon. The rest of the group nearby, mainly the melee fighters saw their strongest Paladin struggle to carry a single weapon. "I'm very shocked and confused as to _how_ that kid's able to use this. I can barely swing it, let alone pick it up."

Jaiden took out his pair of Jurs, examining it. "Most of us assassins were trained with the Katar. However, there are also those who wield a set of daggers... Never have I seen, before, one who uses a sword." The man eyed Naeel's Chokuto sword. "Nor have I seen such a blade."

"That kid was suicidal, but he gave us enough time to cast Lord of Vermillion," a female Professor said, standing next to Harry, one of the male High Wizards, who agreed with a nod to her as he took off his Boy's Cap. "Yeah, I thought for sure the spell would hit him."

While Sally and Jenny were both busy in the kitchen in making some food and drinks for the group, a few members of the group moved in to help as well, mainly females. Heather, on the other hand, staid still, her eyes glued to Naeel's sword. "By the look, one would simply judge it as a normal Blade..." She reached for the dark, green handle of the Chokuto sword. Her grasp became tight on it, locking her fingers around the heavy material. Ben, sitting next to his mother, grabbed the scabbard of the sword with both hands. With a deep breath, the female lord knight pulled the sword half-way out from its case. Maybe the secret behind the weapon's weight lies inside?

"But this... This does not wield the curve of a katana, or the size of a Blade."

Her eyes slightly squinted as she examined the sword, letting it stay on the ground. Similar to a Baal's weapon, the blade itself has a bright polish to it; a masterpiece, if you may. The back side of the sword was a darker color. Heather touched the blade, moving her fingers across the dull part of the Chokuto sword. She noticed that the front side of the weapon was the brightest part; and that was where the sharpness stained the blade. Slightly raising her right thumb, she carefully dragged it across the tip – and a small cut formed. "It's still sharp. No matter what it stains, this weapon wouldn't need as much polishing as your average weapons... Tell me," the woman started again as she sheathed the sword back in place. "The spell of Vermillion has successfully killed Garm?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "No, it only weakened it."

"And the kid finished it off with Venom Splasher," Jaiden finished. "I was starting to think that he would be some kind of swordsman..."

The conversation about Naeel's strange, and heavy, weapon and destroying Garm continued on for another hour while they were given food and drinks. They soon, stopped, however, when they heard footsteps from above emit. Heather and Ben looked up, seeing Yuri walk down. She wiped the sweat off her face using her personal small-sized towel, sighing deeply. This female was exhausted.

"Yuri, how is he doing?" a male High Priest asked. He could only frown when she shook her head. A few others gasped in disbelief.

"His body temperature stopped from getting colder," she started with the good news, placing both hands on her hips after tucking away her towel. "Lily is still up there treating him."

Sighs of relief surrounded the group, especially Sally and Ben. One of the stalkers stared at Naeel's sword.

"With a weapon that heavy, the kid shouldn't have been able to run, let alone jump up to Garm head-level," she said quietly, to herself and a few others around her.

"Other than that," Yuri continued, changing the group's attention to her. "...I don't think he'll be wakin' up anytime soon. His left arm suffered quite a lot."

Sally swallowed hard. "He is in a coma of some sort?"

"Something like that. Right now, all we can do is let Lily do her best with him." The female sniper looked up at the top of the stairs. "And I know she can."

"Dear Lord, please don't take the soul of this boy, yet; he still has far more years to live..."

Lily stood on her knees, her elbows laying on the edge of the bed the teen laid on. Her hands were locked together, eyes closed, as the high priest began her prayer. "Such a young soul should be spared..." After what seems to have been three pages worth of prayers from the Bible, Lily kissed the cross necklace that hung down from her neck. "Amen."

His breathing, soon, started to calm. However, his body still consumed the icy shivers of Garm. His left arm was semi-red, as if he got a sun burn, but it was from the ice. Lily opened her eyes, sighing as she stared at the boy, continuing to replace the wet towel with a steamed one. "He's so young... Why did you accept to kill Garm? Even the transcendent classes have some trouble in fighting her." She placed the hot tower over the boy's chest. With a few moments of silence passing by the two, the high priest placed both hands on one of Naeel's hands, just like what Yuri had done. "Your fingers must be numb and frozen... Don't give up, Naeel!" she muttered to him. "Though young, you have a strong soul inside of you. You have done a great job; the gods should be proud of you."

Should they? Why would they be? After becoming an assassin, Naeel seemed to turn somewhat heartless; not hesitating before killing his target for the sake of his guild. But when he wanted to learn the truth and everything else, he had to leave his guild behind. There was no turning back. The female that he was supposed to find and capture, or kill, still remains a mystery to him, though. Why did the guild want her? What was her purpose? Who exactly is this woman?

"I'd prefer to sit and wait until news come about him," Jaiden said as he placed down the empty cup of tea, "but I've got a person to meet up with." The assassin started to walk towards the door, the two other assassins following him. "Send my regards when he gets up." Heather nodded.

The door opened, and closed the moment it did, as some more of the remaining groups started to leave the house to attend their own matters. Heather, Ben, Sally, Jenny, Harry, Yuri, Baal, Earl, another female hunter, Shiva, and a Knight, Fefnir, remain. They were still waiting for Lily to return down with any news about the boy.

"Naeel..." Heather started, breaking the dull silence of the room. A few heads turned towards her, mostly her children. "Where have I heard that name before...?"

"What is it, Heater?" Shiva said as her falcon scratched its wings.

The lord knight looked up at her, thinking about the kid's name. "No, it's nothing... His name just rings a bell to me."

Sally and Ben's faces soon lighted up. A smile grew on their face as they widened their eyes. Their hopes were up high, blasting through the roof. "You don't think..." Sally started to her brother. Ben nodded a bit. "Oh yeah, I think so, too."

Heather looked at the two of them with a sour face – when a chuckle escaped her lips. After that, a small laugh came about the family. Jenny was utterly confused.

"Mommy, why are you all laughing?" she asked. Her mother patted her head with a smile. "You weren't born yet, dear. While we were years younger, your brother and sister befriended a certain child."

Yuri was a few meters away from the group, staring at a wall filled with picture frames. Pictures were hung that seemed to have been shaped like a tree; or at least, looks like it. "Hmm," she hummed, eyeing a certain picture in the middle of the picture tree. In the picture, Sally was still a priest, smiling while Ben had just become a prideful monk. Their hands were placed on a boy's shoulder, who was a novice that smirked nervously, looking down at the side. Behind the three were Heather and a male champion, holding each other's hands as their heads were close. "He doesn't look the same." The female sniper noticed the novice's black hair. His face did resemble a few features of Naeel; mainly his eyes. One picture interested her.

"Huh?" Her eyes squinted at the depth of the picture. It was a waist-up level, and the body of the figure showed that he was a man. He had his back turned, his face remains unknown. He has white hair, and wore an outfit that seemed to have been dipped in blood. The scarf around his neck had a part that dangled on his back. White-like trims were on the edges of his outfit. "Heather... Why do you have a picture of an Assassin Cross?" What made her curious was the fact that his back faced the camera.

"_Warm... hands... I can feel something warm holding my hand..." Naeel lay unconscious, his body starting to become less frozen than before (although you could still feel like he has a fever). His eyes were closed, his mind started to churn as he dreamt about him sitting on a white chair. Alone, with no one there to be with him. He was in a black room; a small window revealing light upon him. He stared into the light with blank eyes, his mouth slightly opened. His fingers twitched. "Where am I?"_

_He looked about the dark room, seeing that there were just a chair and window; nothing more. "Am I dead?" He thought to himself. " I feel..."_

"_Cold?" a deep voice suddenly said. Naeel turned his head to the side slowly, his eyes following the corner of his vision. "You...? Where did you come from...?" the teen asked, shocked to find the white-haired assassin cross, Crimson, to stand beside him. "No, you're not dead, kid. Just unconscious." The cross folded his arms, walking to the front of his chair. "Right... I remembered fighting that Garm..." "Not fight it; killed it," the man said, placing both hands on the arm-rests of the chair. "I'm surprised, really. You're getting better at it."_

"_Getting better at what?" the teen asked. He couldn't move his body. He felt hot; he sworn that he could feel sweat forming. But he was as cold as an ice cream stick. "Being a few steps ahead?"_

_Crimson stared at the teen. "..." The silence made the kid uncomfortable – until the assassin cross pushed himself back from the chair, taking a few steps forward from Naeel. "I can see everything now; I can see it all." The man raised up both of his hands. "I can feel it."_

_Naeel coughed, confused at the man's phrase. "See what? What do you feel?" Why was the teen anxious to know about this man, all of a sudden? His respect for the Assassins of the Cross, maybe?_

"_..." Before a reply came out, Crimson lowered his arms – and turned his head, followed by his body. "You will know everything when you are ready." "How do I know when I am?" "You'll see and feel it for yourself. When that time comes," the man said, folding his hands – as a crow suddenly flew pass him, landing on Naeel's right shoulder. "...Head to Yuno."_

_In Yuno...? Where is Yuno? The teen glared at the man with his blank eyes – until the crow that perched on his shoulder crowed again, floating up to his head. It placed its pair of talons on the kid's head – and vanished. Looking up slightly, the teen felt his body twitches slightly. Looking forward, Crimson started to fade. "Remember my words... For the raven has put the mark of death upon you. Just like me." As the last word came out, the man completely faded from his vision – and Naeel felt a sharp pain, gnawing at his left arm. "Poison...!?"_

She was tired, and was ready to sleep – but Lily gasped, taking a step back, as she saw the boy twitch. "Ah!" she yelped, covering her mouth to muffle the sound. Her heart was beating quickly, the high priest standing still. _Oh my god, did he just move?_ In truth, she was startled by his sudden movement, and she looked like she had seen a ghost. But, soon, her answer was given to her. She saw Naeel open his eyes. "Naeel?"

The teen closed his eyes again for a moment and turned his head to the side, dark eyes opening once more as he saw a brunette female wearing a blue night gown stand watch from his side. "..." He didn't reply when he saw and heard her question. When she asked again, the teen turned his head to the front, looking at the ceiling. "...Yeah?"

A blunt answer was all she got. Lily blinked. Surprised, she knelt down beside him. "Are you ...alright?" she asked, wanting to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She placed a hand on his hands, feeling the warmth finally taking over the boy's coldness. She smiled at that. _Thank goodness he's awake._

Naeel sat up, holding his left arm. He looked at it, seeing that it was fine now. That pain he felt... It felt like... Poison. He waved his left arm slightly, moving it around. "I guess so," he said. He looked down, noticing that his upper torso bore no clothes. He could feel nothing was covering his lower torso, either. Where were his clothes? The only thing covering him was the set of blanket. "Where's my gear?"

Lily sighed in relief. "Good. We thought you were a goner, but I made sure you didn't." When she heard the question, Lily was confused. "Oh. Sally and Jenny washed and ironed it, but your clothes were too damaged for repairing... So they went out to buy you a new set of clothes!"

Naeel looked down at the woman, then towards the window. The sun was already up, but it wasn't dawn. It looked like the sun was nearly down the horizon. _New set of clothes..._ "Would you mind in letting me change to 'em?"

"Oh! Now, let's see... Where did she say she placed them again...?" As Lily started to mumble to herself, opening different closets and doors, Naeel asked a question.

"How long was I asleep?"

Silence was his reply. He could still hear the female's footsteps shuffling here and there – until it grew louder as she came back with folded clothes. "I think you were out for roughly two weeks."

_Two weeks...?_

"Here," Lily huffed, placing down the folded clothes on the bed. "Everyone is eating dinner, so when you're done changing, come down, okay?" she smiled for the last time towards him and left, closing the door behind her.

... Naeel stared at the new set of clothes, folded in thought. "I guess..." he mumbled to himself. The teen raised his left arm, opening and closing his hand as he remembered that unknown pain he felt when that crow and Crimson vanished. "Why would Poison be my sin...?"

A few minutes after dully thinking to himself about that weird dream, Naeel finally slipped on the last piece of clothing. It was certainly better than the mere black cloths he wore; he could feel warmth, and this time, all over his body. A blue fur-coat covered his upper torso. Underneath the coat was a green, long-sleeve, turtle-neck sweater that lay past his waist. His lower torso had a pair of white pants that nearly reaches down his ankle. They seemed to be made of the same materials as the sweater. Naeel wasn't a fashion person. All that matters is that he's not naked anymore, and it gave him both warmth and, somewhat, protection.

He coughed once, clearing his throat as he looked at the mirror. Nothing missing, right? Good. Opening the door, the teen moved out of the room, walking down the hallway. He quietly reached the stairs and walked down. Towards the bottom, Naeel turned his head to the right, seeing people gathered around at a dining table. The same fireplace was still lit, but the area and chairs held no lives; they were moved to another area. The dining table was pretty big; it seemed to have fit nearly fifteen people (if you squeeze in) around it. A white chandelier hung above from the ceiling, spinning slowly to shine its beauty around the room. More paintings were plastered on the walls around them, as well as pictures of friends and families. They were eating, smiling and laughing, as they exchanged conversations to each other, like one big happy family. All of them were wearing casual clothes; their equipments were neatly placed in a safe place, whether up in the other rooms, or simply at the area where the fireplace was. Clanging from plates to eating utensils, to chairs moving about... They were all waiting for Naeel to actually come join dinner. One chair was empty, sitting next to Jenny. A plate filled with assorted of food and a glass of water was lying in front of the empty chair. They didn't even notice the boy going down the stairs.

It was a very happy scene, really. A big family was enjoying a precious moment together while they shared joy and laughter. Just like how _his_ family was when Naeel came to the family. He could remember, faintly, friends of his parents and brother, all watching down at him with a smile, and making funny faces that would make him laugh. And just for that moment – the teen gave a warm-hearted smile. It was a rare smile, indeed, since he never knew that he'd had it in him. Naeel didn't even notice it until he turned to the pictures shaped like a tree, where he slightly saw his own smile through the reflection. His mouth closed, moving into a grin now – but soon frowned when he caught eyes with a certain picture. A w-

"Naeel?" a voice suddenly startled the teen. He turned his head, facing a female who wore a blue nightgown with brunette hair. It was the same priest from upstairs. "Why don't you come join us?"

As his eyes stared from the brunette's pair, he shifted them to her back, where the group noticed that Naeel had came down, wearing a new set of warmer clothes. The teen took off his blue fur-coat, looking at the fireplace for a moment – and nodded. Just a simple nod came. Lily smiled even more as she placed a hand over his shoulder, walking him to the empty chair.

"Mummy, Naeel's voken ub!" Jenny said with her mouth slightly full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Jenny," Ben said as he drank the water-filled glass.

Heather smiled at the boy as he took a seat, starting to consume the fresh food and drink. He was quite hungry, for he _was_ in bed for two weeks. His body probably was eating itself to get its' required supplements. Seconds, and probably thirds, Naeel couldn't remember the last time he had spent eating with other people, albeit just one or two strangers. As he chewed and gulped, the teen would merely nod or shake his head in reply to people's questions, such as "do you really carry that sword?" and "how old are you?" Many of the questions he got were about his sword, and he would ignore some of them by shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm really interested as to how you can wield that weapon," Baal said.

"Yeah, no kiddin'. I can barely pick it up!" Earl said. He cleared his throat from the food he ate.

"Hmm," the kid merely replied as he sat back in relief, his stomach satisfied of hunger and thirst.

"No offense, but I would expect some muscle strains or bones breaking if you'd try to pick it up," Ben said. Heather wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"How are you able to carry it?" she finally spat the question.

But before he would reply, Naeel thought for a moment. If he simply said that it was a weapon passed down through his family, they would only wander more into it. If he stayed quiet, they'd wait. If he said that a super legendary whitesmith forged the sword with secrets... Well, you get the idea.

"That..." the teen started, breaking the silence and tension everyone was building up. "...is a secret."

A giant sigh came about pretty much everyone on the table. Their shoulders dropped from the answer; the tension around was broken like cutting a tight string with a pair of scissors. "C'mon, there _has_ to be a reason."

"..." Naeel closed his eyes, sighing to think even more now. "Well, father has told me to train for hours with it each day when I was still young. First few years, I endured torn muscles and broken bones from pushing my body. But I managed to get along with the weight, and familiarized with its handle," he took a drink from his glass, "roughly three years ago."

"Oh" and "ah"-s were emitted from the group as the teen explained the 'secret' behind his weapon. He was still in deep thought about other things, and answering that question was one of them. But he wanted to keep it to himself.

His past... Was it all a lie _to him_? The truth... He wants to know, but his conscious only makes him doubt. What if the truth isn't true at all? That's something the teen decided to go and find out by himself. _Yuno..._ he started to think. Knowing Crimson, Naeel wouldn't think twice about going there right now. _When I'm ready,_ which may be years from now, _wait for me in Yuno_.

"Other than that, there _may_ be something else to it, too..." the teen arched an eyebrow as he laughed mentally – and unconsciously, his right hand moved to hold onto his left arm. "..."


End file.
